


Don't Blink

by all_choseny



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV), Doctor Who
Genre: Action/Adventure, Comedy, Crossover, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Gen, Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-07
Updated: 2020-10-07
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:41:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 16,457
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26875363
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/all_choseny/pseuds/all_choseny
Summary: While on holiday in London, Buffy and Spike encounter the lonely assassins. No one knows exactly where they come from, but they are as old as the universe and very deadly. During an investigation of a missing person connected to the appearance of the assassins, they meet The 10th Doctor who has a cryptic message for them. Don't Blink.
Relationships: Spike/Buffy Summers
Kudos: 4





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> ey everyone, thanks for clicking on my story! I'll do a little explaining now. I love Buffy, and I love Doctor Who, so I thought why the heck not. There are some fan theories that the Doctor and Buffy are in the same universe anyway because the 10th Doctor and Rose made a small cameo in one of the Dark Horse comics. This fic is a short, quick read with a bit fluff, some action, and of course, wibbly-wobbly time traveling stuff. It takes place post S12 of the comics, but you don't have to know anything about the comics to follow along with this story. Now, if you've never seen Doctor Who you might be a little confused. I highly recommend you watch Doctor Who. It's an amazing show. My headcanon has this story following my Love and Thunder Fic, but it is so vague you'd miss it, and reading that story is not a prerequisite for this one. 
> 
> I want to thank my gracious beta reader, All4Spike for whipping this story into shape for me, brit picking, punctuation help--all that good stuff! 
> 
> Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

[](https://imgur.com/P2z2Hnh)

They were going out of the country. It was their first vacation as a couple, and only the second time Buffy had taken off since joining the San Francisco Police Department. Nervous energy flowed through her as she stuffed more clothes into her suitcase. She wasn’t used to having days off. Between her job with the police department and slaying, her plate was full. Buffy couldn’t remember the last time she’d made a concentrated effort to relax. She may not have been the chosen one anymore, but she was still the Slayer. Evil didn’t stop because she had eighty hours of accrued paid time off that she hadn’t used.

“If you don’t use it, you’ll lose it, Summers,” Dowling had warned during her mid-year evaluation.

A vacation didn’t seem like a luxury she should take, even if she could have one. She was still adjusting to half-civilian life. Still, the prospect of taking time off gave Buffy a nervous thrill. She thought about all the places she could go or the things she could do—like veg out in front of the television and binge-watch a show. After some discussion with Spike, they had settled on a trip to London.

“I reckon Rupert would like that. We can pop in on him, see how the old man is doin’ and such since moving back across the way.”

Buffy recalled the excitement in her Watcher’s voice as he quickly arranged for them to stay the week with him at his family’s estate. Buffy was curious to see his “estate.” Except for that time they’d shared a castle, she’d never seen him in anything other than an apartment. Buffy wondered if estate meant the same thing in Britain as it did in America. Either way, she was going on a real vacation with Spike.

It’s like I’m a real girl, Buffy thought as she packed her bags, moving from her closet to the bed. She folded and stuffed clothes in her suitcase and returned to the closet, where she rummaged around for her favorite pair of sandals—the strappy ones she had gotten for Christmas. Buffy pushed a stack of shoeboxes to the side and groaned. She had meant to organize those a while ago, but time had gotten away from her. Now, months later, she was digging through an avalanche of clothes and shoes with less than three hours to get to the airport.

“Spike!” Buffy yelled from the closet. “Have you seen my strappy sandals?”

“Which ones?” he asked while zipping up his miniature travel bag. “You have the orange pair and the pink pair. The ones with those little tassely things on them,” he said, wiggling his fingers. “And those horrible clear plastic things.”

“The brown ones.”

Spike frowned. “I’m pretty sure you packed those already.”

Buffy climbed to her feet. “Yeah?” She couldn’t remember the last time she saw them.

“I’m almost positive.”

Buffy crossed her arms and frowned in thought. She didn’t need almost positive. She needed absolute certainty. Her entire London vacay depended on those shoes. One could even call them the cornerstone of her travel wardrobe.

“I really need to know,” she said, making a grab for her second suitcase—the one Spike had taken hours packing with painstaking efficiency.

“Buffy, I spent hours with that thing…” he said with dismay.

“I know, and I’ll love you forever because of it. But I really need to know if I packed those shoes.” Fifteen minutes later, she was surrounded by unpacked clothes and shoes. Buffy held up her sandals with a triumphant grin. “Found them!”

Spike let out a heavy sigh. “Wonderful,” he said dryly.

Buffy looked around at the mess she made and cringed. “Sorry.” She gave him a sheepish grin. “I promise, I’ll make it up to you and pack all of our things on the way back.”

“Oh, no.” He shook his head. “I’ve seen you pack.”

Buffy pouted and wrapped her arms around Spike’s trim waist. “Have I told you today what a wonderful boyfriend you are?”

Spike’s lips curved into a ghost of a smile. “Buttering me up won’t work.”

“But it’s true,” she insisted. “And really, I promise to make it up to you.” Buffy reached between them, giving Spike a suggestive squeeze.

Shaking his head, he said, “You know I sorta fancy you, right?”

Buffy grinned and pecked him on the lips. “I know, and that’s why you’re going to help me find my other gold hoop earring.”

++++

“And these are the family gardens,” Giles said, ushering Buffy and Spike through a small courtyard at the back of his family’s home.

Buffy looked around, impressed. He hadn’t been kidding when he called his country house an estate. Buffy knew that Giles was loaded, but seeing his home in person put everything into perspective.

“Nice digs,” Spike complimented, stepping outside. The sun had gone down, dusting the sky in a purple and orange glow.

“Yes, well, these ‘digs’ have been in my family for several generations,” Giles replied proudly.

Buffy glanced at Spike and stifled a grin. In his element, Giles sounded more fastidious than usual, and she’d missed him more than she’d realized. With the Slayer Organization now defunct, someone needed to reform the Watcher’s Council. After his death and subsequent resurrection, Giles had taken a sabbatical from his duties. Still, once he was voted in as the new senior Watcher and director of the Council, he had moved back to London, leaving Buffy and San Francisco behind.

“Wow, Giles, your home is pretty kick ass. And I’m kind of upset it took so long for you to invite me. Imagine spending my Summers out of Sunnydale living it up at my very own estate.”

“We were needed at the Hellmouth,” he said. His lips curved into a ghost of a smile. “But you and Spike are more than welcome to visit anytime.”

Buffy wandered over to a stone statue overlooking the garden and gazed at the imposing figure with a stern expression on his face. The man gripping a stone tome on his right arm bore a striking resemblance to Giles.

“He’s even got monuments of himself in his backyard,” Spike whispered humorously in her ear, and Buffy dug her elbow in his side.

“Check you out, looking all scholarly.” She glanced back at Giles.

He joined them at the base of the effigy and smiled. “That’s my great-grandfather, Percival Edmond Fairweather,” he said, proudly. “This was his estate. And that statue was erected to honor his time as a member of the Watcher’s Council.”

“You never told me your great-grandfather was a Watcher, too…”

“He wasn’t,” Giles clarified. “He was a clerk and rather devoted to his job. My grandmother became a Watcher because of him."

“Here’s to keepin’ it in the family,” Spike said, wrapping his arm around Buffy’s shoulders. “I guess I owe this bloke one.”

“Oh?” Giles raised his brow. “What for?”

“Great-granddad here joined the Council, then your grandmum came along, started your family dynasty, and you became a Watcher. Never would have met Buffy if it wasn’t for you.”

“I—well—thank you,” Giles said, accepting the strange compliment.

Buffy stared at the statue and blinked. For a moment, it looked as if it had been watching her. Shaking it off, Buffy followed Giles back into the house. “He’s right, Giles. If I had decided to live with my dad, or the council hadn’t sent you, we might not have met.”

“I suppose in a roundabout way that’s true.”

“Face it, old man,” Spike added with a grin. “You’re a regular cupid.”

Giles cleaned his glasses and grunted softly. “Yes, well,” he agreed as he led them back into the house.

+++

They had a late dinner with Giles, followed by television in the drawing-room. He had recorded a week’s worth of Masterpiece Theater and, with excitement, showed them the listings on his new DVR box he had recently purchased.

Buffy looked at Spike and stifled a giggle. On the flight over, he had predicted Giles would have them watching documentaries or something else equally boring. Not wanting to appear rude to their host, they settled down on the sofa and endured the first two episodes of the series before losing interest. The show wasn’t that bad, but once boredom set in, it was hard to pay attention.

Spike had nodded off beside her, his head drooping to the side before he suddenly jerked himself awake, then promptly fell asleep again.

“Giles,” Buffy said. “I know I said I’m vacation-time-Buffy, but where can a girl go to get in a good slay around here?”

Giles looked up from his after-dinner tea and set his cup aside. “You don’t like the show?” He asked disappointedly. 

“Great show! Love this part!” Spike chimed in, waking himself with another start.

“No, it’s not that... I’m just restless,” Buffy continued. “Blame it on the jet lag,” she said, smiling ruefully.

“Well, Saint Mary’s Episcopal Church isn’t too far from here, and they have a graveyard. There’s also the Farthington’s. They have a quaint family cemetery on their estate.”

Buffy glanced at Spike. Both sounded like a complete snooze fest. She wanted to go some place where she could see some real action.

As if reading her mind, Spike interjected, saying, "‘S all right, Rupert. I know where we can go. I had planned on showin’ Buffy a bit of the London nightlife myself anyway. What better time than now?"

“Are you sure? It is rather late.” Her Watcher hedged. “And I’m sure our B team is out there.”

B Team? Times had changed. “Not that late,” Buffy assured Giles. “We won’t be too long, and I’m sure the B team has it covered, but I could always use the workout.”

Sighing, Giles rose to his feet. “Fine. I’ll just save these for another time,” he said, switching off the television. “You two can take one of the cars. I’ll have Henry bring it out front for you.”

“Thank you! You’re the best.” Buffy grabbed him into a hug.

“Yes, well, just be careful. You’re in an unfamiliar city, Buffy. A lot of strange things happen in London,” Giles warned.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some dialogue borrowed from The Doctor Who Episode, "Blink" written by Steven Moffat

“Okay, here it goes,” Buffy said around a sip of her pint. “Bugger, sodding, wanker, fancy, flat, git, ponce, berk, and…” she frowned, trying to think of more British slang. It was harder than she had thought. “Bloke, rubbish, shirty, and snog.” 

Spike leaned forward, obviously impressed. “That might have earned you a snog,” he said, giving her a peck. 

Grinning, Buffy took a proud drink of her beer. “Thank you... although, I feel like half the words I said were insults.” 

Spike chuckled and signaled a passing waitress for another round. “You’ll need those the next time someone gets shirty with you,” he said with a wink. 

Buffy placed her hand over his, enjoying Spike’s company just as much as the atmosphere. Her last visit to London was during a minor apocalyptic threat; seeing the city with her boyfriend was an experience Buffy hadn’t known she needed. She glanced around the bar and sighed. 

“What?” Spike asked. “You don’t like it? We could go somewhere else.” 

“No, it’s great,” she said as David Bowie’s ‘Ashes to Ashes’ played over the jukebox. “I’m digging the retro vibe.” 

“Then what is it?” 

“I’m happy,” she answered him after a quick beat. “There’s no pending doom, I’m on vacation with my boyfriend, and all’s right with the world.” 

“I’ll drink to that,” Spike said, raising his mug for a toast. 

Buffy clinked her glass with his and smiled, lacing her fingers through his. A few minutes later, their waitress brought them two bottles of beer, and a couple of glasses. Spike poured their drinks, launching into a story about his last romp in London. Relaxed, Buffy leaned in close so she could hear him over the ambient bar chatter and music. She loved listening to the soothing timbre of his voice. 

“The git didn’t even realize that everyone could see him,” Spike said. 

Laughter bubbled inside of her. “Wow,” she managed around her giggles. 

“I told you, pet. The stories I could tell you.” 

“Well, I look forward to hearing more,” she said, pulling him to his feet. “Let’s dance.” 

Buffy moved through the throng of bodies crowded by the bar to the dance floor. The area was the size of a matchbox, but several couples pressed together, ignoring the cramped space. Buffy wedged between a trio of people and pulled Spike close. Closing her eyes, she inhaled deeply of his woodsy scent. Spike took her hand, spinning her around until she pressed her back against him. After several beers, Buffy leaned into the fuzziness of her buzz and gyrated her hips into the music, teasing him. 

“Keep that up, Slayer, and this will be a very short outing.” 

Buffy tilted her head back and flashed him a seductive smile. “I wouldn’t mind.” 

Spike dipped his head, capturing her lips in a steamy kiss. The music shifted to another up-tempo beat, and Buffy led him into a sensuous dance, oblivious to everyone else around them. Lulled by the music, alcohol, and him, Buffy nearly missed the bristling sensation in her bones. It thrummed stronger, eclipsing Spike’s signature. She forced her eyes open and scanned the bar, spotting the vampire swathed in dark clothing. Sighing, Buffy inched away from Spike, cutting off their dance. 

“Vampire,” she said; a frown creased her brow. 

“Where—?" 

“Three o’clock.” Buffy nodded toward a couple heading out the door. 

“You sure? A lot of these blokes still haven’t gotten the memo about the whole Marilyn Manson look.” 

“I’m sure. My spidey senses are tingling.” 

“Right then. Ladies first,” he said, stepping aside so Buffy could take the lead. “They circled out back toward the alley. I can smell his cheap cologne.” 

Buffy fished out a stake from inside her her jacket. Although she had promised herself that tonight would be a normal date night, she couldn’t abandon all sense of duty. Besides, slaying on a date was standard for her, and this vampire wasn’t anything exceptional. 

“Aw isn’t this cute a little murder on the first date,” Buffy said, stepping into the alley with Spike trailing behind her. 

The vampire looked up, blood-stained its teeth and the corner of his lips. His date leaned against the brick wall with a wan smile on her face. Was she actually smiling? Buffy thought, annoyed. She blamed that silly book about sparkly vampires. Why did people think dating a vampire was so romantic? She glanced at Spike. Okay, but we’re totally different. 

“Murder? Oy, lady, aren’t you big on the dramatics? She’s my girlfriend.” 

“Yeah, sure she is,” Buffy said, rolling her eyes. 

“No, it’s true. He’s my boyfriend. We met on VampiresMeet.com.” The girl pulled out her cellphone and showed Buffy the app. 

“What?” Buffy’s eyes bulged as she took the phone and started scrolling through the profiles of vampires and humans. 

“Yeah, it’s a website where vampires and humans can meet. You can send private messages, and if you like what you see, you can request a date,” the girl explained. “I met Theodore about two months ago.” 

Theodore? Buffy glanced at Spike again, and the vampire shrugged, shoving his hands into his duster. “So, you’re okay with him feeding on you?” Buffy asked, her tone skeptical. 

“Yeah. It’s sexy.” 

Theodore growled and wrapped his arms around his girlfriend’s waist. “I’ve got proof. I can show you,” he offered, reaching in his back pocket for his wallet, and showed Buffy some kind of license. 

“What’s all that, mate?” Spike asked. 

“It’s Anna’s agreement, giving me permission to feed on her for recreational and sexual purposes. Otherwise, I’m strictly vegetarian. We’ve discussed turning her, but—" 

“I’m not ready,” Anna interjected. “It’s a big decision to make, becoming a member of the undead community.” 

“Undead community?” At a loss, Buffy eyed the document one last time before handing it back to Theodore. 

“That’s what Harmony calls it. You’re from the states; you don’t watch her show?” 

“Can’t say that I have.” 

“Oh, it’s brilliant. You should watch it. She’s done a lot for our fanged friends,” Anna said, stroking Theodore’s hand. 

“Vampires are not your friends,” Buffy warned. 

“Please, you’re one to talk. That wasn’t you cuddling up to Billy Idol back in there?” 

“I wasn’t—Spike’s different. A vampire is my friend. Okay, maybe two vampires, but generally speaking, they aren’t your friends, Anna. They’re dangerous.” 

“You really have been living under a rock, haven’t you? Times have changed. Vampires are civilized now. Well, here we are. I can’t speak about what goes on in America. Now, if you excuse us, we’d like to get back to our date.” 

Buffy watched speechless as Anna cupped the nape of Theodore’s neck and guided him to her exposed throat. Grimacing, she turned to walk away. The girl didn’t appear to be in any immediate danger, and technically she had given Theodore her consent. What could she do? Stake him anyway? 

“By the way, mate,” Spike said as they exited the alley. “Billy stole my look, not the other way around… tired of everyone assuming,” he sulked. 

“Well, that was a bust,” Buffy said, stepping out onto the street. “A vampire dating app, and consent forms? I don’t think I’m in Kansas anymore, Toto.” 

“I’ve heard of the site.” Spike wrapped his arms around Buffy’s shoulders and guided her down the street. 

“You have? Wait—you have?” She narrowed her eyes at him.

“Yeah. Harm’s their celebrity spokesperson. I, uh, stumbled on it a few months ago, and as a joke, I created a profile for Angel.” He snickered as they crossed the street. 

Buffy’s lips twitched into a rebellious smile as she imagined Angel getting emails from strange human women on the internet trolling for dates. “Poor Angel.” 

“Or lucky, Angel. Look at our pal, Theodore, he seems to be making out just fine.” 

Buffy stopped and looped her arms around his neck. “You are positively evil, you know that?” 

“Well, I am the big bad,” Spike replied, nipping at her lips. 

“Mmm-hmm, you are big and bad,” she teased. 

They found a park not too far from the bar. Spike gave her a brief history of the park, explaining the weeping angels. “It’s sort of tourist attraction.” 

“You mean those creepy stone statues I always see in cemeteries?” 

“Yeah, those,” Spike answered with a chuckle. “All sorts come to look at them.” 

Buffy slipped through the gates and looked around the tree-lined park. It was creepy enough to attract some of their fanged friends. Buffy’s senses were in overload as she and Spike walked down the quiet trail. She thought about the vampire at the bar and wondered if she’d see any action that night. Since everyone seems to be kissing them, she thought sardonically. 

Buffy stopped once they reached a cluster of stone angels and looked around, her eyes darting between the motionless statues. A sharp tingle formed at the base of her spine and traveled to the nape of her neck. Freaky, she thought as she studied one of the angels. 

“Why are they all covering their eyes?” 

Spike strolled up beside her and shrugged. “Dunno. Reckon it might have to do with them crying.” 

Unable to tear her eyes away, Buffy continued to stare at the statues with fascination. They all had their eyes covered except one. Its cold stony eyes seemed to watch Buffy as intensely as she watched it. Instinctively, she took a step back, clutching Spike’s hands in hers. “We should go,” she whispered. 

“You sure?” Spike asked, raising a brow. “Thought we might get in a short patrol.” 

Buffy shook her head, going with her gut feeling, she took a one-step-back then another. The further she moved from the statue, the less anxious she felt, and the tingly sensation on her skin faded. Freaky, Buffy thought as they slipped out of the park. 

“Actually, I’m feeling a little jetlagged, and that nice fluffy bed in our room is calling my name.” 

Spike chuckled and took her hand. “Alright, maybe tomorrow night then. I’m sure something will come up.” 

Buffy nodded and snuggled up against him as they walked back to the car. With the freaky park angels behind them, her body relaxed again, and she took in the moment. 

“What’s on your mind?” he asked. 

“You. This trip. I’m glad we took some time for us.” 

“I’m glad. I was worried that you wouldn’t enjoy yourself as much.”

“Why not?” She looked up at him. 

“Because, Slayer, there’s always someone who needs savin’, and you’re always in the thick of it. You’re not the only Slayer anymore.” 

“I know, I know.” Her lips turned down into a pout. “Even tonight, I kinda let the fun get away from me. But no more,” she said, slicing the air. “I promise from this point on it’s vacation-time-Buffy.” 

Spike hugged her close. “You don’t have to make any promises.” Spike stopped and placed his hands on her waist. “I just want you to be happy.” 

Buffy gave him a soft smile before planting a gentle kiss on his lips. “I’m already happy.” 

“Good. Now let’s get you back home. I think someone mentioned something about a bed?” He wiggled his brows, making Buffy laugh. 

They crossed the street hand in hand toward the direction of the bar where Spike had left the car. 

“Buffy Summers and Spike, is that you?” An excited voice greeted them from behind. 

Buffy turned around first and stared at the stranger. She gave him a quick once over and frowned. She’d never seen the man before, but he seemed to know her. “Uh, yes?” She glanced at Spike, but he looked just as confused by the sudden intrusion. 

“It worked!

“Do we know you, mate?” Spike asked, moving slightly in front of Buffy. 

The man looked between the two of them and furrowed his brow. “I'm too early," he muttered to himself. "Well, I don’t suppose you do at this very moment. Technically, this is our first introduction. But by god, it is so good to see you two again.” And without preamble, he pulled them into a brief hug before letting go.

“Hey now!” Spike said with a frown. “I don’t know what your game is, mate, but—" 

“Sorry, sorry. I should have known better. It’s just so good to see you both again after everything that happened.” 

The man paused and looked between the two of them, and his smile slipped from his face. “And you don’t have a clue about what I’ve been going on about. Do you?” 

“Not the slightest,” Buffy agreed. “But do you need help? Are you hurt? Sustained a head injury or two?” She narrowed her eyes and scanned for any bumps or bruises near his temple. 

“Look, sorry, I’ve got a bit of a complex life. Things don’t always happen to me in quite the right order. Gets a bit confusing at times, especially at weddings. I’m rubbish at weddings, especially my own.” 

Buffy looked at Spike, then back at the man. “You have to get to a wedding?” 

“No, I was just—" He paused again. “I’m The Doctor, by the way.” 

“Doctor who?” Spike asked. 

“Just The Doctor. And honestly, I should be getting on. There’s a thing I’m supposed to do that I’m actually late for. And I’m afraid I might have already said too much. Anyway, it was fantastic seeing you two again,” The Doctor said, and hurried away. 

“Wait!” Buffy called after him. Buffy watched as The Doctor disappeared around the corner and out of sight. “I wonder what that was all about.” 

“Just another nutter.” Spike opened the car door for her. “Sounded a bit sloshed if you ask me.” 

Buffy laughed and slid into the car. “Well, he knew our names. That was weird.” 

Spike shrugged and started the engine. “Yeah… we could follow him, see what he’s up to. Could be a demon.” 

“In a trench coat and converses?” 

“Well, you’ve got a point there. That get-up doesn’t exactly scream evil. Still, you wanted to see a spot of action, Slayer. Now’s your chance. If we go now, we might catch up with him. He couldn’t have gone far.” 

Buffy sighed. Earlier, she went looking for trouble, but apparently, it had found her. “All right, let’s go.”


	3. Chapter 3

They drove around the block several times, but The Doctor was nowhere in sight. After about twenty minutes, Spike called it a night. He wasn’t too keen on chasing after a funny man who may or may not have been a demon, anyway. Besides, they were on vacation, and Spike was looking to take full advantage of their time together. He couldn’t remember the last time he and Buffy had taken the opportunity to relax without worrying about some danger cropping up, or god forbid, the apocalypse. So, he was more than just a little relieved when they couldn’t find him.

“The water tastes different here.” Buffy walked out of the bathroom, towel drying her hair as she crossed the room. “Isn’t that weird? You never really think about those things. Cause you know, water is water.”

Spike lay across the bed, propped up by several pillows, and looked up from his book. “There’s bottled in the fridge. I could go grab you one.”

“No, I’m okay. It was a thought, and now the thought is gone.”

Spike placed the book on his nightstand and smiled, taking in the scent of her shampoo and lotions. She smelled incredible. His stomach tightened with need as he looked at her standing by the bed. Spike’s eyes roamed over the silky robe she wore, enjoying the way it stopped mid-thigh, blessing him with a view of her smooth, toned legs. He reached over and toyed with her belt, loosening it enough to glimpse the bare skin beneath the silken material covering her body.

“Well, now I’m having a thought,” he said with a smirk.

Buffy glanced down at his hands and returned his smile. Her eyes sparkled with mischief as she climbed on the bed beside him. “Oh? And what kind of thought are you having?” She pulled on her belt, and the robe slipped down her shoulder.

“I don’t know. Why don’t you come a little closer, and I’ll show you?”

“Show?” She raised her brow. “Hm, that sounds interesting. It’s too bad I’m just so tired,” she teased, faking a yawn.

Spike grabbed Buffy’s waist and pulled her on top of him, tickling her until she let out a soft giggle. Buffy looked down at him. Her long golden hair blanketed his face, covering him. He could feel her warm breath against his face and curled his fingers gently around her neck. Spike lifted his head and nipped playfully at her lips. “Sure about that?” He asked with a slow grin.

Buffy lay across him, tangling her legs with his. “I think I could be persuaded to stay up a little longer,” she murmured and kissed him again.

++++

“How was your evening out last night?” Giles asked the next morning during breakfast on the terrace.

Buffy took a sip of her tea and sputtered before realizing that Giles had asked about their evening before they came back home. “We had a good time. Went to a pub, did the touristy thing. Almost staked a vampire.”

Giles lifted a brow and set his cup aside. “Almost? I didn’t know you were patrolling?”

“I wasn’t planning to. But I thought I saw someone who needed help. Turns out, they were on a date. Apparently, that’s what all the cool kids are doing now.”

“What do you mean?”

“There’s a dating site for vampires. Now people just sign up to die, Giles.” Buffy frowned, toying with her food. “Whatever happened to the days when people used to run away from vampires screaming? Or at the very least pretending they don’t exist.”

“Well, I suppose times are changing, Buffy.” Pausing, he added, “did you say there was a dating site?”

“Oh, no, not you, too!”

“What? No, it’s nothing like that. I just thought it might be wise to have Kennedy’s security company look into it.”

“Oh, right.” She breathed a sigh of relief. “Harmony is the celebrity spokesperson,” Buffy added, using air quotes. “It looks pretty airtight—they have contracts and everything. But you’re right, we should look into it.”

“I’ll give her a call. I’m sure her Slayers can handle it. You and Spike didn’t come all this way to work.” Giles buttered his toast. “By the way, where is Spike? I should’ve moved breakfast inside this morning.”

“He’s still resting. You know he’s not much of a morning vampire, anyway. Besides, it’s not every day a girl gets to have tea in her Watcher’s estate gardens,” she said with a snooty accent. “I’m still kinda peeved you never told me about this place. I feel as your Slayer, I should know these things.”

Giles smiled and sipped his tea. “Well, I’ll remember that for next time.”

Buffy finished the last of her fruit and pushed her plate aside. “I think I’ll go find Spike,” Buffy announced, rising to her feet.

“Yes, well, I have some matters to take care of myself. You two make yourselves at home, and we can meet in the dinning room for lunch.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Buffy said as they walked back to the house. “By the way, Giles, did your statue move?”

++++

Buffy rested her head against Spike’s shoulders and sighed. Once she allowed herself to relax and have a good time, the vacationing part of their vacation became much easier. She loved listening to the timbre of his voice as he gave her a tour of the city from the top of the London Eye.

“You know, you’re really good at this,” Buffy said as their observation pod began its descent.

“Yeah? Well, I have been known to be useful every now and then.”

Buffy smiled and wrapped her arms around his trim waist. She couldn’t believe that it was only six months ago that she’d been chasing love, speed dating when she had Spike all along. Their reunion had been one of the happiest moments in her life, and it was only getting better. “You wanna know something?”

“What?”

“I’m having a great time. I’m so glad you didn’t let me talk myself out of this trip.”

“The way you’ve been working yourself between the force and slaying, you deserve a break. I’m just happy you’re having a good time and all. I know it’s hard waiting until after dark to get out and about.”

“It’s no biggie.” Buffy shrugged him off. “I got a little shopping in today.”

“Oh, Lord. How many pairs of shoes did you buy?”

“Hey! Shoes are important. You kind of need them to walk around and stuff. And as it stands, I only bought five.”

“Five!”

Buffy laughed at the way his eyes bugged out. “Just kidding. I only got two. But in my defense, they were two really nice pairs. And I promise they will fit in my suitcase.”

Spike sighed and shook his head. “Uh, huh.” He leaned forward and pecked her lips. “So, are you up for a pint, or wanna call it a night?”

“It’s still early, why not?” she replied.

Hand in hand, they walked down the busy streets, taking in the sights. She thought about the many times she’d visited London during her ’Slayer army’ days and never had time to enjoy herself. Strolling with Spike definitely gave the city a different vibe.

“I could get used to this,” she said, breaking the comfortable silence between them.

“What? Walking hand in hand?” He raised a playful brow and squeezed her hand affectionately.

“Yes,” she said, bumping his shoulders with hers. “But it’s more than that. I like the option of waking up in the morning and not worrying about some big hairy demon trying to destroy the world. It felt good doing something normal, like shopping for shoes while on vacation.”

“You could retire, you know. Let the other Slayers take up the mantle. Hell, you’ve paid your dues. Maybe it’s time for you to ride out into the sunset. Go be a cop if that’s what you want to do. And if not, then do whatever will make you happy.”

If only it was that simple, Buffy thought. Even with a world full of Slayers, she couldn’t just hang up her cape. “Well, I’m happy right now, and maybe this is enough. Slaying is part of me. I don’t think I could stop being the Slayer. Case in point…” she said, stopping to read a missing person sign someone had hung outside the pub. Buffy studied the brunette’s smiling face, instantly recognizing her from the other night.

“Everything all right, love? Spike asked, moving behind her.

“It’s Anna,” Buffy murmured. “She’s missing.”

Buffy read the flyer out loud. “She went missing the night we saw her here with Theo. That was the last night anyone saw her.”

“Anna? The chit with the vampire boyfriend?”

Buffy nodded. “It says she was last seen entering that park we went to—the one with the creepy Angels.”

“You think her bloke had anything to do with it?” he asked after a lengthy pause.

“I don’t know. He’s a vampire—" Wincing, she added, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that.”

“No offense taken, love. I know what you meant. All those contracts and consent forms mean nothing if he really wanted to have a bite. Let’s go check it out and see what we can find.”

“Are you sure? It seems like our vacation isn’t turning out to be so vacation-y after all.”

“It’s like you said, this is who you are. ‘Sides, we’re cops. Let’s go be cops.”

Buffy smiled, loving him even more. “You just keep racking up those points, mister.”

“And one of these days, I’m going to cash them in,” he said with a wink.

The walk to the park was filled with tense silence as Buffy recalled the other night at the pub. If I hadn’t ignored my instincts, Anna wouldn’t be missing, she berated herself as they entered the park. Buffy held her breath as they searched the cobbled path, looking for anything that pointed to Anna. But if she’s been turned, she wouldn’t be here. Buffy thought about a newly turned vampire out on the streets and hoped she was wrong.

“I’ll go this way,” Spike said when they reached a fork in the path.

A chill ran down her spine as she looked down the darkened trail and nodded. Ignoring the eerie feeling in her gut, she walked toward the deserted alcove where the angels were waiting for her. Buffy stepped under the dim lamplight and looked around. Every instinct in her body screamed for her to run back to Spike and drag him out of the park.

“Anyone here?” She called out and waited, but all she heard was silence. Buffy took a step backward and blinked her eyes. When she opened her eyes again, an audible gasp escaped her lips. All the angels had moved, forming a semicircle around her. “What the—?” She stumbled backward, surprised by the statues’ twisted features and bared claws.

“Keep your eyes on them. And whatever you do, don’t blink.” She heard someone say before they took her hand.

“What happens if I blink?” Buffy asked, suddenly feeling the urge to close her eyes.

“We die.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some dialogue borrowed from The Doctor Who Episode, "Blink" written by Steven Moffat

“Well, not die in the sense of instantly, but eventually we’ll die,” The Doctor explained, as he carefully guided Buffy away from the angels and onto the empty pathway. “We should be safe now.”

“The statues… they were trying to attack me.”

“Yes, well, they do that sometimes.”

Buffy stared at the man, recognizing him from the other night—The Doctor or something. They still hadn’t figured out doctor who. “Sometimes? What do you mean—?" she asked when Spike appeared on the trail, interrupting them.

“Buffy? What’s going on?” Spike asked, jogging toward them. “And where did he come from?”

“I don’t know. I was looking for Anna, and those angels came to life and surrounded me,” Buffy explained, feeling ridiculous. Stone angels didn’t suddenly come to life. Sure, stranger things had happened in the past, but this was Hellmouth-level weird; the last time she checked, London was not on a Hellmouth. Or was it?

“I’ll have a look,” Spike said.

“No!” Buffy and The Doctor called behind him. But it was too late; he had already disappeared into the alcove.

“I didn’t see anything,” Spike announced with a puzzled expression on his face when he returned a few minutes later.

“They haven’t moved?” The Doctor scratched his head.

This is it. This is the moment I’ve finally cracked, Buffy thought. But she hadn’t imagined those angels moving toward her. They had come alive.

“Not that I can tell. Buffy, are you alright?” Spike asked, wrapping his hands around her arms.

Visibly shaken, she nodded. “I’m fine. But I know what I saw. We both did.” She looked at The Doctor for confirmation.

“This is odd.” The Doctor tapped his chin and furrowed his brow thoughtfully. “Blinking activates them, but somehow you were able to escape,” he muttered.

“What are you goin’ on about?”

“Shhh, thinking here,” The Doctor said, reaching into his pocket. “Either they’ve moved on or—" Without warning, he whipped some kind of penlight out of his trench coat and began trailing it up Spike’s arm to the top of his head. “Vampire!” he yelped in an apparent eureka moment. “I haven’t come across one of those in ages.” The Doctor paused, furrowing his brow. “And you’ve got a soul. That’s new—or have all vampires evolved in the last century or two?” The Doctor studied Spike’s face with unchecked fascination. “I much prefer a vampire with a soul than what you’ll become in the future. Horrible things that lurk about.” He shook his head. “But a soul! That would solve a lot of your problems, though I’d imagine you’d have to live with the guilt, too. A vampire with a soul… quite the conundrum.”

Buffy looked at Spike, confused by The Doctor’s half coherent ramble. “What?”

“And you!” He turned his attention on Buffy and shook his pen in front of her. “Definitely human… but something a little more. Interesting,” he murmured before looking up to flash Buffy and Spike a toothy grin. “Sorry, I’m being rude. Hello, I’m The Doctor.”

“Yeah, we know who you are, mate. What’s all that? Spike nodded to the Doctor’s pen.

“This? It’s a Sonic Screwdriver,” he said, casually holding it up. He flipped it in the air and caught it before tucking the screwdriver back into his pocket again. “But how did you say you know me? I don’t believe we’ve met yet.”

“You don’t remember?” Buffy stared at him, incredulously, “Outside of that pub.”

The Doctor’s bottom lip poked out as he shook his head. “Sorry. Haven’t got the faintest idea what you’re talking about. See, my life is—"

“Yeah, yeah, we’ve heard the spiel,” Spike cut him off. “Now, what were you saying about them moving on?”

“Doesn’t matter,” The Doctor dismissed his earlier notion with a wave of his hand.

“Uh, well, make it matter.”

Sighing, he said, “Sometimes the statues leave. When they get what they want, they move. But I don’t think that’s what happened this time. They need life, something you lack.”

“So, the statues stuck around on the count of me being undead and all.” Spike gave the Doctor a dubious look.

“Exactly that. Only they’re not statues,” he said, pointing to the alcove. “They’re called the lonely assassins. No one quite knows where they came from, but they’re as old as the universe, or very nearly, and they have survived this long because they have the most perfect defense system ever evolved. They are quantum-locked.”

“Okay, so how do I slay it? Buffy asked, wanting to get to the important part.

“You can’t. Well, it’ll be difficult. See, they don’t exist when they’re being observed. The moment they are seen by any other living creature, they freeze into rock. No choice. It’s a fact of their biology. In the sight of any living thing, they literally turn to stone. Except with your friend, the vampire.”

“Name’s Spike.”

Buffy recalled the eerie feeling she had the other night while they had explored the park. She’d thought it was only her imagination, but they were alive, watching her. “We were looking for a girl, Anna. The last time anyone saw her was in this park with her boyfriend…” she murmured after a pregnant pause.

“Well, if she came here. They probably took her.”

“Took her? Took her where?” Spike narrowed his eyes at The Doctor, obviously having a hard time believing him.

“Don’t know. But if they did, you won’t find her. Not here, not now. Maybe not ever.”

“Right then, six-foot stone angels took her out of the park, and no one noticed?” Spike scoffed. “How is it you know so much about these things, anyway?”

“I’ve encountered them before, Martha and me. And that’s the thing, no one notices them. Perfect disguise, remember?”

Buffy supposed in all her years of slaying that’s why she’d never come across these murderous stone angels. There were probably thousands of demons she’d never encountered before. I’ll just add them to the long list of monsters I have to kill. “Okay, stone angels took a girl from this park. How do I kill them?”

“Well, you can’t kill stone. Of course, stone can’t kill you either. But then you turn your head away, then you blink, and oh yes, it can.”

Buffy looked in Spike’s direction, and her eyes connected with his. “So, not looking at the statues somehow activates them, and when they come alive, they pretty much kidnap you.”

“More like transport you to various places in time. They sent Martha and me to the 60s, which wasn’t too bad. I liked the 60s.”

“So, they kill you by zappin’ you to the past where some poor sod will live out the rest of their lives displaced.”

“Yep,” The Doctor confirmed with a pop of his lips. “Genius, isn’t it?”

“Why go through all that? Why not just kill them the good old-fashioned way, like any other monster?”

“Ah, now you’re asking the right questions.” The Doctor’s eyes sparkled with delight. “They’re not monsters. They’re aliens.”

“Oh, come on!” Spike threw up his hands. “Buffy?”

“No, let him finish. I’ve fought an alien before. A queller.”

“You’ve seen a queller?” The Doctor asked, his tone impressed. “They’re practically extinct and only come out of hibernation when summoned. I believe they—"

“Feed on the mentally ill. It attacked a bunch of people in my hometown. Anyway—" She shook her head, not wanting to get sidetracked. “If I can’t kill the angels, how can I stop them?”

“Like I said, nobody knows.”

That couldn’t be true, Buffy thought. Maybe this Doctor guy didn’t know how to stop them, but years of training with Giles had taught her that every monster had its weakness—even the extraterrestrial kind. All she had to do was find it. “I know someone who might,” Buffy murmured. “Let’s get back to Giles. The Council has to know something about these things if they’ve been around as long as the Doctor says they have.”

“The Council?”

“I’m a vampire slayer.”

The Doctor looked between Buffy and Spike and said, “A Slayer in love with a vampire. Fascinating.”

Ignoring the Doctor, Buffy looked at Spike, and he agreed with a nod of his head. “Well, mate, thanks for all the useful information. We’re just going to be getting on our way,” Spike dismissed him, placing a hand on Buffy’s hip.

“Uh, huh, sure. But just one more thing… you haven’t seen a blue box around here, have you?”

Buffy raised a brow. “A blue box?”

“Yeah. About this high,” The Doctor demonstrated, raising his hand above his head. “Looks like a police call box.”

“What’s a police call box?” Buffy asked.

“A relic from the sixties,” Spike explained. “What would we want with a police call box? And why would you have one for that matter? Those things were decommissioned two decades ago.”

“Well, it’s not really a police call box. It’s my TARDIS. And I believe the angels have stolen it.”

Buffy and Spike glanced at each other, then back at The Doctor. “What’s a TARDIS?” they asked in unison.


	5. Chapter 5

TARDIS, time and relative dimension in space, or some rubbish, Spike thought to himself as he drove back to Rupert’s. He still wasn’t sure how Buffy had talked him into bringing this Doctor bloke along with them. The more he ran his mouth, the more Spike was convinced that he had to be very, very stoned, or missing a few screws. He had dealt with Dru for over a century, and Spike knew bat-shit when he saw it. And The Doctor was definitely off his bird.

Spike drove out of the city in stony silence as The Doctor tried to explain the workings of his space magic with tales of alien invaders and blue boxes that allowed him to travel through space and time. As he drove, he glanced at Buffy, and a slight frown creased his brow. While he half-listened to the ramblings of a madman, she seemed to eat it all up. 

“So, you’re saying aliens invade Earth all the time, and we just don’t know it?” Buffy twisted around to look at The Doctor in the back seat.

“Well, not all the time,” The Doctor assured her. “But it happens more often than you think. Earth has almost been invaded by Slitheen, Sycoraxes—Sycoraxi,” he paused and shook his head. “Try saying that five times fast. Oh, and the Daleks.” 

“So, if we’re getting invaded every other week, it seems,” Spike interrupted, “How come neither of us ever heard about it?” Yeah, explain that! He thought. 

“Good question,” The Doctor said with a smile. “Most of the time I come along before anyone notices, or I suspect it’s the same phenomenon Buffy faces as a Slayer. People forget these things happen because they don’t want to remember. But now and then, there are humans—and vampires like you—who can’t just walk away.” 

Okay, that he could believe. Spike had seen that kind of denial on The Hellmouth all the time. How many times had people gone missing or popped up undead, and they just pretended like there was nothing strange going on in that town? Still, it was hard to believe some trench-coat-wearing eccentric (with stupid hair) had saved the world from alien invaders more than once. 

“So, back to your TARDIS,” Buffy said after a brief silence. “What do these angel things want with it? I thought they needed people to survive.” 

The Doctor let out a long sigh. “The TARDIS doesn’t just allow me to travel through time and space… it has the ultimate source of energy for these things deep within its power core. If they ever got inside… there is a world of time energy in there they could feast on forever, but the damage they could do could switch off the sun.” He shuddered. “That’s why I have to get it back.” 

“How did they take it without, you know, making you go poof?” Buffy asked. 

“They didn’t actually take it. It was more like I left it, and when I got back, it was gone. I tracked the angels to the park, but the TARDIS wasn’t there.” 

Convenient, Spike thought. “Well, her Watcher can find a way to get it back. That should keep the world from ending. And hopefully, we can save the girl, too,” he said, turning down the long winding road leading to Rupert’s home. 

Spike glanced at Buffy again, and their gazes met in the dim car. He still wasn’t entirely convinced they hadn’t picked up some random nutter off the street, and this might have been some kind of ruse to get close to the Slayer. What if he was some demon from the future sent back to kill her a la Terminator-style?

Spike glanced in his rearview mirror. Probably not, he thought, squelching his overly active imagination. Not that he didn’t trust The Doctor—well, no; he didn’t trust The Doctor. After everything he and Buffy had gone through, it was hard not to suspect some guy making wild claims about alien invasions. Although he had seen some crazy shit in his lifetime, they were now heading into tinfoil territory. 

“Buffy.” Spike pulled her aside once he parked the car. “Are you sure about this?” He asked in a hushed tone. 

Buffy nodded. “I know he’s a little weird, but if we help him find his TARDIS, then he can get Anna back. And Giles might know something about these weeping angels that can help us track them down. See. Two Birds. One Stone.” 

“All right, pet,” Spike reluctantly agreed to her plan. 

++++

“So, you’re a doctor?” Giles asked as he poured them each a cup of tea. 

“Not a doctor—The Doctor. This is very good, by the way,” he complimented Giles after taking a sip. 

“All right, doctor who?” 

“Just The Doctor.” 

“A time-traveling doctor,” Giles spoke slowly, stretching out each word as if he was trying to understand it all. 

“Time Lord, actually.” 

Buffy was still trying to put the pieces together herself. Ever since they had met The Doctor, nothing seemed to make sense anymore. “Have you ever heard of these weeping angels?” Buffy interrupted to ask Giles her question. 

“They sound familiar… though theCouncil would have them categorized as some kind of demon. We rarely encounter entities of extraterrestrial origin—save for that time with the queller. I suppose that many of the things we call demons could very well be aliens. I recall reading about a rash of disappearances some years ago, but I had never connected it to these lonely assassins.” 

“Those disappearances were more than likely our weeping angels,” The Doctor confirmed. “And You’ve probably met an alien or two or three in your lifetime.” 

“I think I’d recognize a bunch of E.T.’s if I saw one,” Spike scoffed with a smirk. 

The Doctor chuckled and rose to his feet and got a closer look at Giles’ library. “Really?” He asked, stuffing his hands in his pocket. “I’m an alien. Did you recognize me?”

“You’re an alien?” Buffy asked. 

“Yep! From the planet Gallifrey. Looks can deceive. That’s why it’s easy for the angels to hide in plain sight. No one would ever suspect a harmless statue might kill them.” 

“You’re right,” Giles muttered, joining The Doctor at his bookshelf. “How many times have we heard about someone who’s gone missing and blamed it on a vampire or some other demon? If all it takes is a single blink to activate them, then Anna is only one victim of many doomed to live the rest of their lives in some other place in time,” he said while selecting a book from the shelf and flipped to the center of the tome. “Ah, now I remember where I heard of these things,” he murmured, looking up from the pages. “The first historical recording of the angels dates as far back as Mesopotamia. According to this, the angels attacked a small village, killing—or transporting—nearly all of its people back in time except one girl.” 

“Let me guess, she was a Slayer,” Buffy said. 

“Yes. She defeated the angels by trapping them in a mirror. But then, she made the fatal mistake of looking one of them in its eyes, and it took her.” 

“May I?” The Doctor asked, reaching for Giles’ book. “Ah, yes, took and turned are quite similar in ancient Akkadian, but an angel didn’t take the Slayer, they turned her into one of them.” He returned the book to Giles. 

“Thus, calling a new Slayer, shortly after.” Sighing, Giles grew silent as he skimmed through the pages once again. “Other Watchers have recorded sightings of these angels… during the Renaissance, and later in the early twenties. I wonder why they never ventured to The Hellmouth? Surely there would be enough energy for them to draw from there.” Giles mused. 

“You’re right. All those angels near my crypt, surprised none of them ever came to life,” Spike added. 

“Probably didn’t care for the competition. I’ve been to the one in Cleveland. With all the extra demonic activity, it wouldn’t be worth it,” The Doctor surmised. 

“So, we got lucky because they don’t like to share.” Buffy wrapped her arms around her waist and stared out the window before turning back to Giles. “Is there any way we can get Anna back?” She may not have been able to save all the people the angels had stolen in the past, but if there was a chance to save one, then she would do everything she could to bring her back. “The Doctor says we don’t have any way of knowing when in time she’s trapped, but maybe we can use a spell to find the TARDIS and—” 

“I’d still have to know when or even where they sent her,” The doctor interrupted. 

“Where? You never said anything about where,” Spike huffed. 

“Didn’t I?” The Doctor stroked his chin. “Well, aside from the ability to move us whenever they want in time… the angels can also move us wherever they want. One minute you could be standing in the middle of a park in California and end up in the middle of Times Square in New York during the great depression. Or on another planet altogether.” 

Buffy sank into a chair, disheartened by the news. “I don’t understand,” she said, her voice small.

“I’m sorry, Buffy,” The Doctor sympathized with her. “I wish there was a way of knowing how to get Anna back, but she probably isn’t suffering or in any pain. That’s one small mercy the angels grant their victims.” 

“Could we locate her using a spell?” Buffy asked, not ready to give up. 

“I’m not sure. If what The Doctor says is true, our magic may not be powerful enough.” Giles stammered. 

“But we can try,” Buffy retorted, her face set. “First, we find the TARDIS, and then we find Anna.”


	6. Chapter 6

Spike looked at Buffy with something akin to pride. He loved it when she got all determined and put on her Slayer hat. It was one thing he admired about her. They’d only met Anna once, but Buffy wasn’t ready to throw in the towel yet. She was willing to risk her life for a stranger. Sometimes he worried that Buffy pushed herself too hard, cared too much, but he saw into the depths of her heart. She had always carried a great capacity of love and compassion within her, and because of it, she would do everything she could to save the chit. 

“What do you think about this Doctor character?” Spike whispered, pulling Buffy aside again. 

“I don’t know… I still think he’s weird, but weird is sort of our thing, right? I know what I saw back at the park, Spike. The angels were coming for me. I didn’t imagine it.” 

“I know you didn’t, love,” Spike assured her as he placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. “I’m not doubtin’ you, I’m just not too sure he’ll be much help,” he said, hitching his chin toward The Doctor. “Although Giles seems to have taken a shine to him.” 

“Yeah…” Buffy agreed. 

At that exact moment, The Doctor looked up at them and smiled before turning his attention back to Giles. The Watcher must have said something clever, Spike observed, because The Doctor laughed, and the two talked while Rupert arranged the supplies for his spell. 

“This is a simple locator spell,” Giles began several minutes later. “And the Doctor gave me a bit of his TARDIS,” he said, holding up a piece of coral. “It should be enough to help me find it.” 

“Right then, let’s get to it,” Spike said, walking over to the table where Giles had laid out four crystals, a map of the city, and a mortar filled with brown dust. 

“So, how does this work?” Buffy asked as she moved beside Spike and took his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. 

“It’s like a demon locator spell, but I’m using it to find an object,” Giles explained as he lit some candles. “For this to work, we must invoke the power of Thespia.” 

“Ah, the goddess Thespia,” The Doctor repeated with approval as they formed a circle around the table. 

“Goddess Thespia, hear our plea,” Giles began. “By your power, bring us to that which we seek. Reaching out through time and space guide us to places beyond our reach. Be it far, or be it near, show us the TARDIS without haste.” 

Spike watched as Giles reached for the dust in the mortar and sprinkled it across the map. To his amazement, it came to life, and within moments, a police call box appeared hidden inside what looked like an old parking garage. Spike moved closer to the map and saw the box guarded by over a dozen angels. 

“Look it’s there!” The Doctor pointed at it with excitement. “You did it! I love science and magic.”

“I know where that is,” Giles declared, staring at the map. “It won’t take us long to get there.” 

“What about the angels?” Buffy said, frowning at the images on the table. “There’s so many of them. What are they doing?” 

“Guarding it.” The Doctor’s face was grim. “They can’t get in, so they’re waiting for me to show up. There are a lot of them, but as long as we keep our eyes open, they can’t hurt us.” 

“Good,” Buffy replied, grabbing a medieval-style hammer from Giles’ display wall. “Then that means we can hurt them.” 

++++ 

Buffy stepped into the building first, with Spike and the others close behind her. The angels were on the ground level, hidden away from the entrance, but she recalled exactly where they were from the images on the map. Buffy’s heart thumped in her chest as she led the group deeper into the shadows. She gripped the mallet in her hand and cautiously moved forward. 

“You hear that?” Spike asked, placing a protective arm in front of her. 

Buffy stopped and listened closely. Faint laughter echoed around them from several directions, making it difficult for her to determine where the sound came from. 

“Cherubs…” The Doctor whispered behind them. 

“There are baby killer angels, too?” Spike said, testily. 

“Do they have the same abilities as the others?” Giles asked. 

“Yes, and they’re even worse,” The Doctor confirmed. “Keep your eyes open, they move quickly. And whatever you do, don’t blink. Don’t even blink.” 

Nodding, Buffy crept deeper into the shadows. Beside her, Giles turned on a flashlight and illuminated the room with bright white light. The moment it flashed on, she realized the angels had surrounded them. Claws and fangs bared, the stone statues looked more like monsters than heavenly guardians. 

“Good lord,” Giles whispered. 

“Try to look at all of them,” The Doctor warned. “It’s dark, so some of them will be hard to see.” 

“Let’s form a circle,” Buffy instructed, and everyone moved into place with Spike and Giles on either side of her. “Don’t let them get too close.” 

Suddenly, Giles’s flashlight flickered, causing the garage to fill with shadows. Buffy lifted her hammer and swung at an angel, sending its head flying into a corner. As the angels moved closer, she struck out at them, connecting steelwith stone. So much for not being able to kill them, Buffy thought as she smashed the mallet down on top of an angel’s outstretched arms. 

“Rupert! Watch your left!” Spike yelled out. 

Acting on instinct, Buffy swung the hammer again, catching another angel in its stony face. Just a few more. Almost clear. Together she and Spike took out the rest of the angels until there was nothing left but broken stone and dust. Grinning, Buffy grabbed Spike by the lapels of his coat and pulled him into a kiss. 

“What was that for?” he asked, dragging his lips away from hers. 

“Just a post-fight snog,” she answered with a wink, and her mouth curved into a teasing smile. “Gotta problem with it?” 

“Not at all.” Spike leaned in for another brief kiss before they both turned to the others. 

The expression on Giles’s face reminded her of a slightly annoyed parent, and she bit back a smile. No matter how much the circumstances had changed over the years between them, he was still her Watcher. A strong feeling of nostalgia washed over her, and this time she allowed herself to smile at him. Maybe this wasn’t the vacation she had planned for, but it was exactly what she needed.

“So that’s it. Are all the angels gone?” Buffy asked The Doctor.

“For now. You and Spike smashed their bodies, but they’re still here, somewhere.” 

“What do you mean?” Giles took a quick turn, looking around the empty garage.

“The angels are only a husk for these creatures. They’ll find more. And when they do, I suspect they won’t be too thrilled at getting smashed to bits.” 

Buffy glanced at the statues, taking in the damage. “I’ll just add them to the long list of things that want me dead,” Buffy said, shrugging off The Doctor’s warning. “Let’s just get your TARDIS and get out of here. These things are giving me the wiggins.” 

“Right, right.” The Doctor clapped his hands. Reaching into his pocket, he produced his sonic screwdriver and led the way. 

Behind him, Buffy kept her eyes peeled for any last-minute stragglers. Until that night, she’d never realized how often she needed to blink. 

“Everything all right?” Spike whispered close to her ear. 

“Yeah. Just trying not to blink. I think after this, I’m going to need a year’s supply of eye drops.” 

Chuckling, Spike took her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. “Well, I think the coast is clear,” he said, stopping in front of a blue police call box. 

Buffy glanced at The Doctor, then back at the call box. From the outside, it didn’t look like a time machine. It looked like a larger, more blue version of an old payphone. 

“So, this is your time machine?” Spike’s tone dripped with skepticism. 

“Yep. Isn’t she fantastic?” 

Giles stepped forward and placed a tentative hand on the box. “I haven’t seen one of these in years—not since the 60s. Why a police call-box?” Giles asked, turning to look at The Doctor. 

“That was quite by accident. The cloaking mechanism malfunctioned, and I haven’t figured out how to repair it. But I like it the way it is. Has character. Want to see inside?” His eyes danced with excitement. 

“Sure, I’ve been waiting for this moment all night,” Spike replied, crossing his arms over his chest. 

“Right! Allons-y!” The Doctor said as he produced a key from his breast pocket. 

Buffy held her breath in anticipation while The Doctor fiddled with the lock. A few seconds later, the door flew open, and The Doctor stepped inside. 

“Come on in!” he invited them, poking his head through the door. 

“I’ll go first,” Giles said protectively and followed The Doctor inside with Buffy and Spike close behind. 

Buffy squeezed Spike’s hand as they stepped inside… an enormous control room that looked like something straight out of a space opera. Buffy’s eyes quickly swept the flight deck, taking in the bright lights and flashing colors. Unreal, she thought as she let go of Spike’s hand and slowly turned around. “It’s—”

“Bigger on the inside,” The Doctor finished for her with a proud grin. 

“I was going to say smaller on the outside, but yeah, that works too.” Buffy shook her head, still in disbelief. In all her years of slaying, nothing should have shocked her by now, but she couldn’t believe what she was seeing. “How?” 

“Gallifreyan technology,” The Doctor replied. “The call-box is only a disguise.” 

“‘Cept now it sticks out like a sore thumb,” Spike pointed out with his signature smirk. 

“Not really. You’d be surprised at how many people will overlook it.” 

“I can believe it,” Giles agreed. “We used to live on The Hellmouth,” he reminded them. “How does it all work? The time-traveling?” 

“You mean the TARDIS or actual time travel?” The Doctor clarified. “You see, people assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint, it’s more like a big ball of wibbly wobbly, timey wimey… stuff.” 

“Timey wimey?” Giles repeated, brow raised. 

“See what I mean?” Spike said to him. “We’ve heard that bit before. You don’t actually know what you’re blathering on about, do you?” 

“Time’s complicated,” The Doctor said, defensively. 

“I’m clever. Try me,” Spike quipped. 

“What does this do?” Buffy asked, wandering over to the control panel.

“Don’t touch that!” The Doctor barked, rushing to her side. “I mean, some of these knobs and buttons can be dangerous.” 

“Well, how does this all work then?” Spike waved his hand. 

“Ah! I’ll show you,” The Doctor said, wiggling his fingers over the control panel. 

Buffy watched as he lovingly wrapped his fingers around a lever and pulled it down before pressing a series of buttons. Within moments the TARDIS came to life, pumping and wheezing like an old industrial machine. Buffy looked around at the flashing lights as the noise grew louder. “What’s happening?” 

“Just getting her started up! Don’t worry, we’ll be off in a moment.” 

“Off to where?” Spike asked. 

“I don’t know, wherever you want to go! The possibilities are endless. Mr. Giles, I saw a few books in your library on ancient Greece. How about we visit the Parthenon during the antiquities, or perhaps Socrates speaking in front of the senate?”

Giles’s eyes lit up as he sputtered a response. 

“Hey, I’m all for doing the whole Magic School Bus thing, but we have a girl to find,” Buffy reminded them. “I know The Doctor said we can’t know where they sent her, but maybe there’s a way we can find her. Giles used magic to locate the TARDIS. Maybe there’s a way to augment the spell or something.” 

“I could certainly try,” Giles agreed with only a hint of disappointment in his voice. 

“All right, slight detour then!” The Doctor declared and started turning various knobs on his control board. 

Seconds later, the TARDIS shuttered and quaked, knocking Buffy and the others off balance. “Doctor, what’s happening?” she asked, grabbing on to Spike. 

“I’m not sure… oh, wait!” He smacked his forehead and sighed. “No, I hadn’t thought about that,” he muttered almost to himself. “The operating system… it can’t handle another immortal on board the TARDIS. Happened to a friend of mine once, and I had to leave him in the year 200,100.” 

“You’re not abandoning me in the sodding future!” Spike protested. 

“No, no, I’m not,” The Doctor mumbled while pressing more buttons. “Just a moment. I think I’ve got it!” 

The TARDIS stopped wheezing, and Buffy had a sudden feeling of weightlessness as they fell. She clung to Spike as The Doctor tried to regain control of his time machine. 

“Are we falling?” Giles asked, grabbing onto a nearby banister. 

Moving around the operating console, The Doctor replied without looking up. “Uh, more like gracefully cascading.” And the TARDIS hit the ground with a loud thunk. 

“That doesn’t sound good,” Spike whispered to Buffy. 

“A bit rough on the landing, but everyone looks all right. I’ll just pop outside and see if there’s any external damage,” The Doctor said, and slipped out of the call-box.

“Well, this has been interesting,” Buffy grinned at Giles and Spike. “Not exactly the vacation we had planned, but at least we can’t say there’s been a dull moment.” 

“There’s been at least one,” Spike corrected her with a teasing grin and looked at Giles." 

“My documentaries are educational,” he sniffed. 

Buffy laughed and nudged Spike in the ribs. “And they were interesting, Giles,” she said. “Very educational.” 

“You don’t have to patronize me,” he sulked, almost pouting.

Stepping away from Buffy, Spike looked around the interior of the TARDIS and lightly ran a hand over some coral. “A time machine in a police call-box,” he mused out loud. 

“Fascinating, isn’t it?” Giles joined him in his survey of the TARDIS. “To think there are species of aliens out there capable of time traveling technology. It makes you question everything we know. Imagine being able to travel anywhere in space and time, the things we could see and learn about the universe.” 

“You’re starting to sound like him,” Buffy observed. 

“Well, I think I’ll stick to my lonely little corner of this universe,” Spike grumped. 

“Aw, you’re not jealous, are you?” Buffy teased him. 

“No,” Spike pouted. “I’ve seen enough of the past and the future to be content right where I am. The Doctor can have his time traveling. I’m happy with both my feet on the ground… speaking of, let’s go check on him. He’s been out there long enough.” 

Buffy followed behind Spike as they stepped out of the TARDIS and into a narrow alley. For a second, Buffy wondered if they had traveled in time, but judging from their location, they were only a few blocks away from the pub where she and Spike had their first date in London. 

“Doctor?” Giles called out, but no one answered him. 

“I’ll go first,” Spike volunteered, moving in front of them. 

Spike crept forward, cautiously stepping behind the TARDIS, and instantly jumped back, startled by something he saw. “Bloody hell!”

“What’s going on?” Buffy said, running behind him. 

“Don’t blink,” Spike warned. “Looks like an angel hitched a ride.” 

“And took The Doctor,” Giles added. 

Buffy kept her eyes on the angel, afraid to look away even for a moment. This one had also dropped its weeping facade and bared its sharp teeth and claws in a terrifying grimace. Buffy studied the angel’s face for a moment and noticed something about her features. Unlike the other angels, this one seemed familiar. “I know her…” Buffy whispered. “I mean, I’ve seen her before,” she added. “This isn’t an angel. It’s Anna.”

“My God,” Giles said, moving behind her. “Buffy, are you sure?” 

“Yes,” she replied with a nod. 

“She must have looked it in the eye. Like what happened to the Slayer you told us about.” 

“Buffy, move behind us, and let’s step away from it,” Giles cautioned. 

Buffy walked backward until she was out of Anna’s line of vision. A few seconds later, Spike joined them, shaking his head. “Is there anything we can do for her? Can it be reversed?” Buffy asked Giles. 

“I don’t know… I have some books back at home, but…” 

“What about The Doctor? Spike asked. “We’ve solved the mystery of her disappearance, but where did she send him?” 

“I don’t know, but we can try to find him. In the meantime, we’ve got to make sure she doesn’t hurt anyone else,” Giles said. 

“We could always smash it.”

“No,” Buffy said. “What if that erases him or something? I don’t want to risk it.” She couldn’t stop the angels from hurting Anna, but there was still a chance she could save The Doctor. Buffy looked around the alley, spotting a broken mirror beneath a ragged blanket. “There! We can use that to keep her from hurting anyone else. The Doctor said they can’t move if they’re being observed by someone or something. He called it quantum locking!” 

“Brilliant!” Giles said and helped Spike position the mirror in front of the angel.

“What about his box?” Spike hitched his chin at the TARDIS. 

“I think it’ll be safe here. Let’s close the doors and get back to Giles’s place.” 

Spike placed a hand on Buffy’s shoulder. “I’m sure The Doctor’s all right, pet. He’s a Time Lord, after all. 

“I hope so,” Buffy said, leading them out the alley.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some dialogue borrowed from The Doctor Who Episode, "Blink" written by Steven Moffat

“Ah, so that’s why they do it…” Giles murmured as he paced around the library with a book in his hand. “It says here the angels aren’t weeping. They cover their eyes because they can’t risk looking at each other. Their greatest asset is their greatest curse. They can never be seen.” Giles looked up from his book. “They are, perhaps, the loneliest creatures in the entire universe. It’s sadly poetic.”

Spike looked up from his research and shrugged. He supposed that was a lonely existence, never seen by anyone—not even your own species. At least his demon allowed him to walk and talk like a man. Others could see and touch him. Spike hadn’t been too sure about the time traveler at first, but The Doctor had grown on him. He was with Buffy on this one; they needed to figure out a way to bring The Doctor back into the present—or was this his past? Spike recalled their very first meeting with The Doctor and how he knew them. Time-traveling seemed like a big complicated mess if you asked him.

“Does it say anything about finding those lost in time?”

“Or reanimating a turned angel?” Buffy piped up from her corner in the library.

“Afraid not,” Giles replied, his expression grim. “There doesn’t seem to be any way to bring The Doctor or Anna back. Even if I could use a spell to find him, I’m not sure how to get us there. Time-traveling magic is very dangerous and requires more skill than I have.”

“What about the TARDIS?” Spike asked. “It shouldn’t be too hard to fly it or whatever. You’re pretty clever.”

“I’d hardly know how to operate an alien spacecraft. Besides, it all looks like another language, judging by the circular symbols I observed.”

“What about Willow? She’s gotten me to the future. Isn’t traveling to the past the same concept?” Buffy asked.

“Not exactly,” Giles hedged. “And I don’t want to bother Willow with this. She’s got work to do for the Council and the type of magic it takes to go back in time… I don’t want to risk a relapse.”

“Then how are we going to get The Doctor back, Giles? We can’t just leave him in the past.”

Spike glanced away from Buffy and sighed. He hated to admit that there was a possibility they couldn’t bring him back, no matter how hard they tried. Sometimes people just got lost.

“We’ll keep looking,” Giles assured her, reshelving his book. “But in the meantime, let’s get some rest, we’ve had a long night.”

++++

Spike pulled Buffy into his arms as she fell into a restless sleep. He couldn’t rest either, knowing The Doctor was trapped somewhere in the past. Although they had come to London for a holiday, Spike wouldn’t feel right leaving on such a sorry note. Closing his eyes, he finally drifted to sleep with thoughts of alien angels and time traveling on his mind...

It wasn’t until noon when everyone was awake and ready for more research. Spike hated to see the faint violet circles around Buffy’s eyes as she sipped coffee while he and Giles drank their tea. A slight smile pulled at his cheeks as he admired her across the table.

“I must look terrible,” Buffy said, looking up at him.

“Not at all. You’re radiant,” Spike said earnestly. Even exhausted, she still glowed.

Buffy’s cheeks turned slightly pink, and she smiled. “Keep racking up those points, mister.” They grinned at each other, momentarily forgetting their task. Buffy sobered first, taking a worried sip from her mug. “Anything, Giles?” she asked.

“Not yet, but I’m still looking.”

They stopped for a late lunch at around three, and Spike warmed some blood in the kitchen while Buffy paced back and forth in front of him.

“Even if we find The Doctor, we won’t be able to stop them. They could be anywhere, in any angel statue we see,” Buffy said with a frown.

Spike set his mug aside and gathered her into his arms. “I know this is hard for you to hear, love, but sometimes we can’t save everyone,” he said into her hair.

“I know, but I can’t walk away.”

“That’s what I love about you. You never give up.”

Buffy tilted her head back and raised her lips for a kiss. “And you’re always here to ground me.” Sighing, Buffy dumped her half-eaten sandwich into the waste bin. “We better get back to Giles before he thinks we wandered off somewhere.”

“Buffy! Spike!” Giles greeted them with excitement when they returned to the library. “Something came in the mail for us—all of us,” he said, showing them a package wrapped in brown paper.

“Well, go on then, open it up,” Spike said and watched with anticipation as Giles unwrapped the package.

“It’s a… note and some kind of music disc from The Doctor.”

“What does it say?” Buffy asked.

“‘Dear Buffy, Spike, and Giles, I’m sure you find this letter arriving with great surprise. When I went to check on the TARDIS, your friend Anna sent me back in time. I’m sorry, but she’s been turned into an angel, and I’m afraid there is no way of bringing her back. Unless she’s destroyed, she’ll remain in that state for eternity. As for me, I’ve been living in London during the 1940s blitz. So you see, getting any messages out has been rather challenging. Anyway, I’ve instructed the post to hold on to this package for about sixty-three years, give or take. Inside, you’ll find this note and what looks like a compact disc. Don’t try to play it! It goes inside the TARDIS. Once you get it inside, she’ll know what to do.’

“It’s signed, The Doctor,” Giles read, looking up at them.

“Bloody hell, he had the post hold on to a package for over sixty years. The jokes just write themselves,” Spike said with a grin.

“Yes, well, let’s get to the TARDIS so we can get it back to the Doctor. I’ve been worried about it sitting in that alley all night.”

++++

They found the police call box exactly where they had left it. Anna was still a frozen statue, staring eternally at her own reflection in the broken mirror. Buffy wished there was more she could have done to save her, but Spike was right; she couldn’t save everyone every time. Still, there was something she could do for her. Buffy lifted her mallet and connected it with the angel’s back, taking its top half off, breaking it to pieces. Buffy swung again, crushing the angel’s head. She looked down at the broken angel. Anna was free now.

“Let’s go inside,” Spike suggested, placing his arms around Buffy’s shoulders.

“Where do you think the disc goes?” Buffy asked, looking around the console.

Giles joined the search and pointed at a spot at the center of the panel, “What about there?”

“You sure, old man? I don’t want to go blowing up the Earth,” Spike said.

“Well, I’m only taking a guess at the symbols, but this one bears a striking resemblance to one of those Walkmans.”

Buffy chuckled and slid the disc into place. A few moments later, a hologram of The Doctor appeared in the center of the room.

“This is security protocol seven-one-three. This time capsule has detected the presence of an authorized control disc, valid one journey. Please prepare for departure.”

“Oh, no, Spike! Get out. The TARDIS can’t travel with you in it.”

“I know, but I think it’s a little too late, pet. Look around you.”

The interior of the time machine flickered and faded as it prepared for takeoff. Buffy didn’t remember that happening the last time they were inside.

“Something’s happening,” Spike said, looking around him.

The TARDIS gave one last wheeze and disappeared, leaving the three of them behind. “What?” Buffy glanced around the alley, surprised to see that they were now standing in the same spots outside of the TARDIS, and the blue box was nowhere in sight.

“It appears The Doctor put some kind of locating coordinates on that disc with instructions to leave us behind. He knew Spike would be with us, and he didn’t want to damage his machine.”

“He’s a clever one,” Spike said, flipping a black hoodie over his head.

“That’s it?” Buffy asked, looking around wildly. After all, we’ve been through. This is it."

“He’s a time traveler, Buffy,” Giles reminded her. “I suppose he doesn’t form very many attachments. He seems to travel alone.”

“I know… but it just seems kind of anticlimactic.”

“Perhaps we’ve had enough excitement for a while. I’m sure you and Spike want to enjoy the rest of your holiday in peace.”

“I have to agree with Rupert on this one,” Spike added. “Come on, love, let’s go home. If the Doctor wants to see us, he’ll know where to look.”

++++

As soon as they had settled in for the evening, Buffy headed to the room she shared with Spike, and she suggested they wash up for dinner together.

“Feeling better?” he asked as he washed her hair, massaging his fingers into her scalp.

“Much, now that you’re doing that,” Buffy sighed and leaned against him. “You know, as far as vacations go, this one hasn’t been half bad.”

“Agree. I didn’t even mind running around with that Doctor. Strange bloke, but he livened things up a bit.”

“I can’t wait to tell the others about him. You think they’ll believe us?”

“Andrew definitely will. You know he’s into that nerd stuff. Xander, too.”

Smiling, Buffy wrapped her arms around Spike’s neck and planted a soft kiss on his lips. Whether they believe us, I can honestly say that I’ve had a great time with you, Mister Pratt. We should do this again sometime."

“Whenever. Wherever,” Spike said, returning her kiss.

Buffy sighed and pressed against him. “Remember those points you’ve been collecting, wanna cash them in?” she asked, trailing her lips down his chest.

“I think now would be a great time,” he breathed.

++++

After their shower, they got dressed and met Giles out for dinner out back. Spike relaxed while Buffy sat comfortably on his lap. They were about to start dinner when a familiar wheezing sounded in the air. Buffy stood first, and the three of them watched as the TARDIS materialized before their eyes.

“Hello!” The Doctor said, poking his head out the door. “Sorry, it took so long to get back. I had a few loose ends to tie up, and I might have come back a few days too early in the timeline and left the two of you rather confused,” The Doctor explained as he stepped out of his time machine.

“Don’t you mean ‘time ball,’ Doctor,” Buffy greeted him with a smile.

“I like her,” The Doctor declared. He took a deep breath and said, “So, what did I miss?”

“Well, we were about to have supper,” Giles said. “Would you care to join us? I can have Henry set another place at the table.”

“That would be lovely! I’m famished,” The Doctor said.

“You mentioned in your letter you were trapped during The Blitz, how was it?”

The Doctor smiled at Giles and shrugged. “The same. I’ve been there before. Never for that long, but I prevented a time paradox. The funny thing about time travel is that sometimes you can run into another version of yourself, and that wouldn’t be good at all.”

“What could happen?” Spike asked.

“Quite possibly, the apocalypse.”

Buffy laughed and looked at Spike. “It’s nothing we haven’t handled before.”

The Doctor looked between the three of them and beamed. “I’ve been thinking about your holiday,” he said to Buffy and Spike. “And how you two got a bit sidetracked helping me out. I hope I haven’t ruined your trip.”

“We were just talking about that,” Spike said. “And our little adventure gave us both some excitement.”

“Oh, that’s just… well, fantastic.” He clapped his hands together once. “I came back because I promised someone the Parthenon and Socrates. What do you say?” He asked, turning to look at Giles. “It’s been a while since I’ve had a companion travel with me.”

Giles’s eyes lit up, and a slow grin spread across his face. “You want me to travel through time and space with you?”

“Why not?”

“Well, there’s the Watcher’s Council, and I—”

“They won’t even realize you’re gone.”

“You should go, Giles,” Buffy said to her Watcher. “When was the last time you let yourself make big with the fun?”

“And it will be fun,” The Doctor promised.

Giles looked between the three of them. Spike recognized a brief look of concern on his face before he ultimately made up his mind.

“All right, I’ll go. What harm could it cause if no one will realize I’m gone?”

Probably none unless he dies, Spike thought, but kept it to himself. It was about time the old man lived a little. “Buffy’s right. You should go,” Spike encouraged him.

“It’s settled then, I’m going with the Doctor. Should I pack a bag?”

“If you want. But I have plenty of spare clothes, some of them may even fit. It’s up to you.”

“I think I’ll bring some things along just in case.”

“All right. I’ll get the TARDIS prepared, and we’ll leave as soon as you’re ready.”

“Will you two be alright here by yourselves?”

Spike looked around. “I think we can manage.”

“You know, we’ll have a few wild parties or two,” Buffy teased. “Just kidding. Go. Have fun.”

Giles stood from the dinner table and grinned. “I’ll go get some things.”

“We can help!” Buffy volunteered. “You should travel in style.”

Spike followed behind Giles as they headed into the house together. He poked fun at Giles for a bit when Buffy suddenly stopped and ran back outside.

“Where are you going, pet?” Spike called behind her.

“I wanna ask the Doctor something.”

Spike followed Buffy outside again and watched in horror as the statue of Giles’s great-grandfather came to life and moved in front of Buffy. Before he could open his mouth to warn her about blinking, she was gone, leaving not a trace of her behind.


	8. Chapter 8

“Buffy!” Spike yelled and ran out into the courtyard.

The Doctor emerged from the Tardis with a mirror in his hand and held it in front of the statue.

“What’s going on?” Giles asked, running out behind Spike.

“She’s gone,” Spike’s voice cracked as the gravity of the situation hit him. “The statue touched her… and now she’s gone.”

“What do you mean she’s gone?” Giles looked around frantically for her.

“I was afraid this would happen,” The Doctor said, face grim. “They would not like our interference. The angels can be quite vengeful when pushed. We’ll need to make sure this one is dormant,” he said to Spike.

“But, but that’s not an angel,” Giles sputtered. “It’s my great, great grandfather, Percival.”

“What do you mean you were afraid this could happen?” Spike’s tone rose a pitch.

“They can transform ordinary statues into angels—or at least animate them with their abilities. They took control of your grandfather’s statue to kill her for killing so many of them.”

“Well, bring her back, god dammit.” Spike’s voice cracked with his demand.

“I’m sorry. I’m very, very sorry, Spike. But I can’t do that.”

A deep growl rumbled in Spike’s chest, and his eyes flashed yellow with anger. “All this sodding talk of time travel and ruddy police call boxes that go into space, and you mean to tell me that Buffy is lost forever.”

“There’s no way of knowing when she is.”

“Yeah, I’ve heard that before.”

“There has to be something we can do,” Giles said, all of his earlier excitement now deflated.

“If the same angel touched Buffy, touches one of us, maybe we could find her, but there’s no way we could bring her back.”

“What about that CD you had?”

“Good for one trip only, and it could take me years to produce another one. I’m sorry.”

“Yeah, you’ve said that already.” Spike sighed and ran agitated hands through his hair.

This couldn’t be happening. He and Buffy had just gotten back together. They were happy. He was happy. Spike looked up at the sky and let out a frustrated yell. It seemed like no matter what he did, his past would always come back to haunt him. This was his penance for all the evil he had done before he’d gotten his soul. Only fate would design such a cruel punishment for him.

“Maybe this one can send me to her. You said it wasn’t really an angel. It could—”

“It doesn’t work like that, Spike. It can’t kill something that’s already dead.” The Doctor looked down. “Buffy’s gone.”

Giles placed a hand on Spike’s shoulder, and he flinched at the Watcher’s touch. He wasn’t ready to be comforted yet. Spike’s entire world had just been torn apart.

“I’ll have to destroy the statue,” Giles said after a long, tense moment of silence.

“I think that would be best,” The Doctor agreed.

Listen to them, Spike thought bitterly. Not even five minutes after Buffy was taken, and they had already moved on. Spike wanted to crush something beneath his hands, squeeze the life out of it because that’s how he was feeling—like someone took his life from him.

“Wait, a minute!” The Doctor shouted, suddenly perking up. “I think I know what to do.” He laughed in delight. “Of course! Why didn’t I think of this before?”

“What are you going on about?” Spike asked dully.

“Today, everyone gets to live!” The Doctor declared, his expression jubilant.

“What do you mean?”

“Mr. Giles, come hold this for me. I’ll be right back,” he said and handed the mirror off to Giles before disappearing into the TARDIS. “You see,” The Doctor said, returning a few moments later. “I’m bound by the laws of time. But what’s the point if I can’t use it to help others. But I’m a Time Lord, and I can do whatever I want.” The Doctor opened his palm, revealing a small tanned chip in the center of his hand.

“What is it?” Giles asked.

“It’s a Mire medical kit. The Mire soldiers used it to repair themselves during war. It can repair anything and anyone. It can even bring someone back to life. I don’t know if it’s ever been used on someone who’s been dead as long as you, but it’s worth a try.”

“You’re saying that thing can regenerate me.”

“Well, in a sense, yes.”

Spike didn’t have to think about it. If that chip could bring him back to life, then there was still a chance that he could find Buffy. Without hesitation, he said, “Do whatever you gotta do, Doc.”

The Doctor nodded and placed the chip on the center of Spike’s forehead. Spike waited, expecting to feel some kind of mystical change in his body. At first, nothing happened, but suddenly Spike gasped as blood rushed through his veins, and he could feel his heart beating in his chest. Spike took another deep breath when he realized he needed to breathe.

“It worked!” Spike shouted, removing the chip from his head. “My heart is beating. I can feel it.”

“Wonderful!” The Doctor shouted, raising his arms.

“Lower the mirror so it can look at me.”

“Are you sure about this, Spike? We don’t know if you’ll end up with Buffy,” Giles cautioned.

“I have to try,” Spike said, his expression determined. “I have to try.”

Giles nodded and lowered the mirror. Spike stepped in front of the statue and blinked his eyes.

++++

Epilogue

One Month Later

The last of his entries were done. Giles lowered his pen as he inked the final line of his Watcher’s journal. He should have updated it weeks ago, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. He still wasn’t sure how he had gathered the strength to write about his beloved Slayer. Over the years, Buffy had become more than his charge, she was his family, and now she was gone.

Giles hoped she was living out her life with Spike at her side, but he resigned himself into accepting that neither he nor The Doctor would ever know. After Spike had disappeared, they had destroyed Percival’s statue. The Doctor had gone off to travel the universe without him. Giles couldn’t bring himself to go with him. Maybe after the pain subsided, he’d reconsider.

They didn’t have a funeral. No one felt up to mourning Buffy, and Giles didn’t push the issue. Instead, Dawn had held a small memorial in her honor, and cruelly, life had moved on. He would submit his journal on Buffy Summers to the Watcher archives, where she would live on with the other fallen Slayers.

Giles took a sip of tea and closed his journal just as the doorbell rang throughout his home. Several minutes later, Henry came to the door with a young man at his side. Giles glanced at the boy and noticed he was holding a package in his hand.

“You have a caller, sir. Mr. Anthony William Burton.”

“Tony,” the young man said, extending his hand to Giles. “It’s nice to finally make your acquaintance.”

Giles studied Tony for a moment, sensing something familiar about him. It was his eyes. They reminded him of someone. He smiled at the man and motioned for him to have a seat. He was dressed casually in button-down shirt and slacks, and Giles wondered if he was a university student interested in interning for the Council. “How can I help you, Tony?” Giles asked.

“I was instructed by my grandmother to deliver this package,” he explained, passing it to Giles.”

Giles took the box and frowned. He wasn’t expecting any deliveries, and he didn’t know anyone by the name of Burton. “Your grandmother?”

“Yes, Elizabeth Anne Burton-Pratt. She said you wouldn’t know her, but that you are a dear friend of the family.”

Giles’s hands shook as realization dawned on him. Elizabeth Anne Pratt! It couldn’t be. Or maybe it could. Hope sprang in his heart as he studied the boy again. There was a faint resemblance to his Slayer… and to Spike. “Did you say Pratt?” His voice shook.

“Yes. It was her surname before she married my grandfather. Is there something wrong, Mr. Giles?”

“No, not at all.” Giles shook his head. “I—I just wasn’t expecting… Do you mind?” he asked, looking down at the package.

“No, please, I’ve been rather curious about this thing ever since my grandmother gave it to me. She told me it should have been delivered to you ages ago, but one of her brothers had misplaced it and… well, none of that is important. We found it a few days ago, and here I am, making sure it ends up in your hands.

“And your grandmother…”

Tony looked down at his open palms and sighed. “She passed on a few weeks ago. I only delayed getting the package to you because of the funeral.”

Giles nodded in understanding. “I’m sorry for your loss,” he said, offering his condolences.

“Thank you. She was ninety-five and lived a long and happy life. And that box has been a point of mystery in our family for years.”

An awkward silence filled the space between them as he slowly began to unwrap the brown packaging from the box. “Then I suppose, I better get on with it then,” Giles said.

Inside was a treasure trove of small trinkets and letters addressed to himself, Willow, Dawn and Xander, and Faith. Giles carefully slid a faded piece of paper from its envelope and began to read. 

_Dear Giles,_

_I’m sorry it took so long for this letter to get to you. If we did the math right, for you, I’ve only been gone a few days, but it’s been a lifetime to us. I want you to know that we’re all right. Spike found me a year after the angel sent me back in time, and we live in a small home in Essex. I want you to know that we’re very happy here. It’s a good life, Giles. And the best part of it all is our son. His name is Oliver William Pratt. We call him Ollie for short. He’ll be two in a few months, and he keeps us both on our toes. Spike is a wonderful father; I wish you could see them together. I think you’d love Olie as much as we do. I never thought I’d ever experience anything like this. Being a mother and a wife has made me happier than I’d ever been in my entire life._

_There are some things I miss. Starbucks comes to mind, and of course, all of you. Sometimes that part of my life feels like a dream. Or is this the dream? We’re still trying to figure everything out._

_Giles, I want you to know how much you mean to me. You’re the only father I’ve ever really had, and I miss you very much. I don’t want you to be sad for me. Everything worked out._

_Love Always,_

_Buffy Anne Pratt_

_Essex, 1878_

_P.S. We met a man by the name of Percival Fairweather. He says he’s a clerk for The Watcher’s Council, but I think he’s going to be a fantastic Watcher._

Giles’s hands shook as he studied the small portrait she enclosed with her letters, and a wide grin spread across his cheeks.

“What is it?” Tony asked, anxiously moving forward in his chair to get a better look at the contents in the box.

“He kept his promise,” Giles replied, rising to his feet.

“Who?”

“The Doctor!”

“Doctor who?” Tony asked, his expression incredulous.

“Do you have some time? I have a story to tell you about your great, great grandparents and a man in a blue box.”


End file.
